Guide — updated for macOS 26
How to AirPlay to multiple speakers from a Mac
There are three routes. One is free and built in but only carries Apple's own apps. One looks like it should work and quietly drifts. The third works with everything. Here is all three, honestly.
First, what macOS actually gives you
macOS does have multi-speaker AirPlay. It just is not where people look for it. It lives inside the Music app and the Apple TV app, not in the system output menu.
Option-click the volume icon in the menu bar and you will see your AirPlay speakers listed withradio buttons — pick one. Open Music, start a track, and click the AirPlay icon in the player bar, and the very same speakers appear with checkboxes. Same devices, different control, because the multi-room logic is a feature of the app rather than of the operating system.
Method 1 — Apple Music or Apple TV app (free)
- 01
Open the Music app and start playing
The AirPlay control only appears once something is playing.
- 02
Click the AirPlay icon in the player bar
It sits to the right of the volume slider, next to the lyrics and queue buttons.
- 03
Tick every speaker you want — they are checkboxes here
This is the one place in macOS where they are checkboxes rather than radio buttons. Each speaker also gets its own volume slider.
- 04
Adjust levels per room
Sliders in this popover are per speaker. The master slider moves them together.
The trap: Multi-Output Devices
Method 2 — Audio MIDI Setup (free, and usually a dead end)
Search this problem and someone will tell you to open Audio MIDI Setup, click the+, and create a Multi-Output Device. It is a real macOS feature and it is genuinely useful — for two sound cards, or headphones plus desk speakers.
For AirPlay it fails twice:
- The speakers are usually not even listed. macOS handles AirPlay above the Core Audio device layer. Aggregate devices can only combine what Core Audio can see, and most HomePods and Sonos units are never exposed there.
- When one is listed, it drifts. An aggregate keeps its members in step by resampling against a master clock, and that mechanism does not extend across AirPlay endpoints. Two speakers start together and slide apart over the next few minutes — the "fine for the first song" problem.
There is no combination of checkboxes in that window that fixes either point. It is worth ten minutes to confirm; it is not worth an evening.
Method 3 — send everything, system-wide
SoundFerry routes system audio to the selected network outputs. Timing can be adjusted per speaker.
- Spotify
- YouTube
- Safari
- Any app
macOS output device
EQ · dynamics · limiter
- HomePodLiving room
- HomePod miniKitchen
- WiiM ProStudy
Audio route
SoundFerry installs as a normal macOS output device. Select it and every sound the Mac makes flows through it — Spotify, a YouTube tab, Apple Music, VLC, Plex, a game, alerts. SoundFerry applies one pass of EQ and dynamics, then hands a single stream to the AirPlay layer, which fans it out to every speaker you ticked with the timing AirPlay 2 was designed around.
SoundFerry sends the same audio to multiple network outputs and provides per-speaker synchronization delay adjustments. Check timing on your own device and network configuration.
- 01
Install SoundFerry, restart once
It adds a Core Audio output device. macOS loads audio drivers at boot, hence the one restart.
- 02
Tick your speakers and save the group
Name it — Whole house, Party, Downstairs — and recall it in one click later.
- 03
Set the Mac's output to SoundFerry
System Settings › Sound › Output, or Option-click the volume icon.
- 04
Play anything at all
Spotify, a YouTube tab, VLC, a game, a Zoom recording. It all lands on every speaker at once.
Pick the right one
| Feature | SoundFerry | Music app | Multi-Output Device |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $19 once | Free | Free |
| Audio from Apple Music | ✓ | ✓ | Unreliable |
| Audio from Spotify / browsers / VLC | ✓ | — | Unreliable |
| Shared clock, adjustable timing | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Per-speaker volume | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Saved room groups | ✓ | — | — |
| Equalizer on the way out | 12-band | — | — |
| Setup effort | Install + one restart | None | Fiddly, often fails |
Airfoil from Rogue Amoeba solves the same problem and also reaches Bluetooth, Chromecast and Sonos's own protocol, for $35. If you need those, buy that. If you want AirPlay done simply and cheaply, read the side-by-side.
Common questions
Can't macOS do this already?
SoundFerry makes a virtual macOS output available to apps and routes it to selected network speakers. App-specific AirPlay features are a separate way to play audio.
Does the Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup work for AirPlay?
Almost never, and it is worth understanding why before you spend an evening on it.
A Multi-Output Device can only aggregate devices that Core Audio can see. Most AirPlay speakers never appear there — macOS routes AirPlay above the Core Audio device layer, so HomePods and Sonos units simply are not in the list.
SoundFerry sends the same audio to multiple network outputs and provides per-speaker synchronization delay adjustments. Check timing on your own device and network configuration.
Can I AirPlay to multiple speakers from Safari or Chrome?
Not to several at once. A browser hands audio to the system output, and the system output is one device. Video sites can offer AirPlay for the video itself, but that is a single target.
To put a YouTube tab on several speakers you need something at the output-device level — see YouTube to multiple AirPlay speakers.
How many speakers can I use at once?
More than most houses have. The practical ceiling is your Wi-Fi, not the software — every extra speaker is another stream on the air. Four to six is comfortable on a decent access point; beyond that, put the busiest rooms on 5 GHz or wire them.
Do the speakers actually stay in sync?
SoundFerry manages playback across selected speakers. Timing depends on the devices and network; SoundFerry provides per-speaker delay adjustment. Try your speaker combination before purchasing. No fixed synchronization accuracy is guaranteed.
How much delay is there?
The managed default audio path adds several seconds of delay. It is intended for listening rather than live instrument monitoring, gaming or video calls. Video playback may need delay compensation.
Will macOS ask for microphone access?
SoundFerry uses an output-only virtual audio driver and does not request microphone permission.
Why does it need a restart after installing?
Installing the virtual audio driver requires administrator authentication and a Mac restart. Follow the installer instructions when updating the driver. App-only updates use a separate update path.
How much is it, and is it a subscription?
19 USD buys a perpetual license for version 1.x. Updates such as 1.0 to 1.1 are included. Version 2.x requires a separate purchase, with pricing not yet decided. There is no subscription. Other currencies are converted from the USD price.
Bring your rooms together.
Full version, free for 7 days. No account, no card, no email required to start.
- One-time purchase, no subscription
- Free updates within 1.x
- macOS 14+, Apple silicon